Jean‑Michel Blais is a Canadian minimalist pianist and composer whose intimate, improvisational piano music has garnered international acclaim, including Time’s Top 10 Albums and multiple award nominations.
Pioneering electronic harpist Lara Somogyi and award-winning Canadian pianist/composer Jean-Michel Blais joined forces earlier this year for a groundbreaking album project, désert – out via Mercury KX. Born from a chance encounter in the vast stillness of Joshua Tree, désert is an album that emerged as effortlessly as the sun paints the horizon at dusk. Each track is a pure, unfiltered improvisation—an intuitive exchange that reflects both the transient beauty of the landscape and the deep musical connection the two artists discovered in the moment. Inspired by the journey from dawn to dusk, the music moves between light and shadow, simplicity and depth, solitude and unity. Debuting at #1 on the Canadian Classical Albums Chart in March 2025, désert captures the essence of both artists’ creative spirit; Blais, known for his evocative piano compositions, and Somogyi, an electronic artist and harpist renowned for merging her instrument with cutting-edge pedal effects, the two artists explore the boundaries of their musical worlds, forging an album that feels both ethereal and deeply human, rooted in improvisation, making désert one of the most compelling instrumental releases of the year.